Taking The Jump
by taylorash
Summary: ONESHOT. Missing scene from Unto The Breach. Rory and Luke have a conversation that leads to them both getting what they really want. Rogan and implied JavaJunkie, although it focuses on the strong Rory and Luke bond.


I bet you all thought I died, right? ;D

This is a one-shot that takes place in **Unto The Breach**, the night that Logan proposed. It's for everyone who felt cheated with the Rogan break-up (which I won't say much about, or I'll start ranting for hours.) It focuses on the strong bond that Rory and Luke have.

I put many flashbacks, as a tribute to some of my favorite moments we've had over these seven years with the girls. Enjoy everyone. )

Disclaimer: What do you think?

* * *

Luke heard the bells on the door ring, the sound that let him know people were coming in he had installed years ago. Looking up, he saw a pair of cerulean eyes, so like her mother's, meeting his. 

"Hey, Luke. Do you mind?" she asked, an innocent smile playing at her lips. The same smile she used when she was eight and came banging on the door at midnight with Lorelai, asking for coffee and doughnuts. The same smile she had when she was 15 and wanted to stay past closing time to study for a French exam.

"We ran out of the good coffee at home, and the kind here is much better for us," she had told him at his doorstop 14 years ago, in her a pink and white coat, her eyes begging for him to let her and her mother in.

"We have hardly any coffee left at the house, Luke. Besides, the coffee here is better. More relaxing. Just the smell can make anyone who's stressed or in a bad mood relax," she had told him 8 years ago when he was trying to convince her to close her textbooks and get out of her seat so he could close up.

Luke returned her smile and closed the drawer he had been staring at incessantly for almost an hour. "No, not at all," he said warmly, gesturing to the stool nearest the register. The stool that Lorelai had claimed was hers that first day, when she had come through the door in a desperate need for a coffee fix.

_"Come on, Burger Boy, dance."_

_"Will you marry me?"_

_"What?"_

_"Just looking for someth__ing to shut you up."_

Sighing, he turned around to his coffeemaker to pour Rory a cup of coffee. He heard the stool's bars screech slightly on the hard floor of the diner, and her plop into the seat. He smiled. Turning back around, he put the mug in front of her.

She had obviously not been paying attention to what he was doing, for she jumped when the mug was placed in front of her. "Oh, thanks!" she said, raising her eyebrows at his gesture.

Luke noticed her reaction, and started to pull the mug back. "Do you not want any? I mean, I just figured…"

"Oh, no of course I want it. Sorry, I'm just a little distracted," she nodded, taking the cup back from him. Instead of taking a sip, however, she simply lifted it to her nose, breathing in the scent. He watched her as her eyes closed, and she unconsciously smiled.

_"How many?"_

_"None."_

_"Plus?"_

_"Five, but yours is better."_

_"You have a problem."_

_"Yes I do."_

_"Junkie."_

_"Angel. You've got wings baby."_

He shook his head, forcing the memory of a rosy-cheeked Lorelai to drift to the back of his mind. It was strange how much her daughter looked like her when she was drinking a cup of coffee.

"So…" Luke started once Rory placed the coffee back on the counter, still not taking a sip.

Rory looked up at him. "I'm sorry to come in after closing time. I just…" she paused for a second. "Needed someone to talk to, I guess."

Luke nodded. He was about to ask what was up, but Rory started before he could open his mouth.

"Logan proposed to me tonight," she said quietly.

Luke looked up from where he had been staring at the counter awkwardly to look at Rory in surprise. He had known the two were close, but he never considered them to be headed for marriage. They were so young. Rory was what, just graduating college? 22? How on earth were you supposed to find your soul mate at such a young age? What if it wasn't right? What if they broke up? Rory would be heartbroken. He ought to beat the blonde, cocky rich boy's ass now, as a preview for what the future could hold for him. That would teach him not to mess with Rory's heart…

"And I didn't give him an answer," Rory continued in a solemn voice, cutting his thoughts off mid-rant.

"You didn't…" he tried to say the words, but he couldn't. He didn't understand. Was she not sure? Did she not love him?

She shook her head, finally looking up at him. He noticed that her eyes were wet. "No. I just…I don't know. I was caught off guard. He did it at my grandparent's party, and it was a total shock to me."

Luke nodded, knowing what an unexpected proposal was like.

_"Luke, will you marry me?"_

_"What?"_

_"Luke, will you-"_

_"Yes."_

_"__Well, you __don't__ have to answer so __fas__-"_

_"Yes."_

_"I __mean, you can take a minute to-"_

_"No."_

Rory looked up from her coffee mug back to her pseudo-father. She wasn't exactly sure why she had come in here in the first place. She had come to Stars Hollow to talk to her mom for a few hours before heading back to Yale. However, as she passed by the 'William's Hardware' sign, something made her stop, turn around, and open the door as she had done so many time in the past.

_"Oh my god, look who's back!"_

_"Why I believe it's those adorable Gilmore Girls!"_

_"My how we have missed them!"_

"Were you not sure if you loved him?"

Rory blinked, looking at Luke in surprise. "No! I know I love him. What we have is…real. True."

Luke watched the girl he had always viewed as his daughters get a small, sad smile on her face. He still thought it was yesterday morning that she was in high school, coming in every weekend with Lorelai to play bagel hockey. Now, here sat this young woman, in love with someone who Luke had only just started to see the good in. Life really was much too short.

"I keep trying to think of the reason why I couldn't answer him. I mean, when he asked, I _wanted_ to say yes. And then he went on to talk about the house with the avocado tree, and I could hear my heart screaming at me to say yes. After all, I do like guacamole. Being married to him…it would be amazing."

_"Remember when we were in the Life and Death Brigade, and we stood on top of that tower, and we held hands, and we jumped? Let's do that again Rory, let'__s jump."_

Rory looked at Luke, who was watching her with an expressionless face. She knew he was listening to her. "I…I wanted so desperately to take this jump with him Luke. But something stopped me."

"Something that you couldn't place at the time, right?"

Rory slowly nodded. "Yeah. How did you…?" she drifted off when she saw Luke's face.

_"I can't just jump like this!"_

_"Well, I'm sorry to hear that!"_

"Oh," she muttered softly, blushing. She and Luke had never really had a discussion about his and her mother's relationship. It had always been a sort of unspoken agreement to never bring it up.

Luke opened his mouth, hesitating slightly as he watched Rory look away. He had never spoken aloud his reasons for not eloping with Lorelai when she had stormed into his diner a year ago. The last person he ever expected to tell them to was her daughter. Then again, Rory was one of the many who had known about his feelings for her mother long before Lorelai did. She knew how intense their relationship was, and knew how heartbreaking their break-up was.

"_If you want coffee, you'll have to wait."_

_"Hey Luke, someone put a sign for the rummage sale up in your window over there."_

_"You can have decaf right now if you're in a hurry."_

_"You should call the cops about this. I mean we all know how you feel about public displays of town affection."__"_

_Your mom asked me to put it there, ok?"_

_"And you said yes?"_

_"She's not real good with 'no'."_

_"No she's not."_

_"For every second you laugh at me, that's one second longer you're waiting for coffee."_

_"Sorry, no laughing."_

"Rory," he started, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Why do you think you couldn't give him an answer when he asked?"

She shrugged, finally taking a small sip of her coffee. "I was caught off guard; surprised. I wasn't expecting it at all, and-"

"Rory," Luke interrupted, shaking his head slightly. He wasn't going to let her get out of answering his question. "Think. After the initial shock wore off, what stopped you? You said yourself that you wanted to tell him yes. So what stopped you?"

_"I went exploring a little, and there is this house that we could rent__, it has a backyard with an avocado tree. And it's only 35 miles south of San Francisco. Just a straight shot up the 101."_

_"Wow, you've done a lot of research!"_

_"Yeah, you could work at the Chronicle, the San Francisco Bay Guardian."_

"I was afraid." The words spilled effortlessly out of her mouth once she looked back on the plans Logan had made. It took her a few seconds to realize she had actually said the words aloud.

Luke nodded in understanding. "Of what?"

Rory stared at Luke in wonder. What had she been afraid of? Everything Logan had told her had seemed so wonderful; so perfect. "I was…scared of how fast everything was happening. I mean, I like to think. I like to make pro-con lists, and pick the best option. Logan likes to jump into things and take risks. I love him for that, but…" she drifted off.

"You needed time to think it through," he finished for her.

When Rory nodded, taking another sip of her coffee, Luke made a decision. He wasn't going to let Rory let go of who she loved because of her fears of the future; of the impromptu risks that would be taking place. Searching through his drawers, he found a pad of paper. Placing it on the counter, he flipped it around so it was facing Rory.

Rory put down her mug, and stared down at the paper in confusion. "What's this for?"

"This is for making the decision you want," Luke answered, taking the pen he carried around in his front pocket and handing it to her.

_"Luke, give me your pen."_

_"I don't have a pen."_

_"Where's the pen you take orders with?"_

_"You have got to stop assuming that I take pens with me everywhere I go."_

"You want me to make a list."

"A pro-con list," he clarified. When Rory still stared at the paper, unmoving, he sighed. "Rory, look. You're a thinker. Before making any decision that affects you in any way, you want to make sure it's the right one. You're not great at spontaneity. So, this is to help you do what you want."

"But…" she paused, looking back up at him with worry in her eyes. "What if…"

"What if what?"

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to hold in tears threatening to fall. "What if what I want and what's right are two different things?"

Luke didn't say anything for a minute, and they had a level staring contest. Finally, he spoke. "Make the list. Whatever it comes out to be doesn't have to be what you decide to do. I have a feeling your heart is already telling you what you want. This," he tapped his finger on the paper, "will simply get your head to agree with it."

Rory looked back down at the paper. Luke watched her as she slowly took the pen, and made a neat, straight line through the middle. She labeled the two sides 'Pro' and 'Con'.

Once he saw Rory start writing, he quietly walked upstairs to leave her with her thoughts.

Rory looked down at the blank piece of paper, wondering where to start. She wasn't positive what this list would prove, but maybe Luke had a point when he said her heart had already made her decision.

Now if only she could figure out what it was, she would be good to go.

She immediately wrote down the first thing that came to her head under the 'Pro' section-that she loved him.

_"You trust me?"_

_"You jump, I jump Jack."_

She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment, but she was positive it was during that first jump of theirs that she had fallen for him. That jump had been amazing-exhilarating, thrilling, and scary all in one. But, somehow, Logan had convinced her to do it with him. He was the one who opened up her shell for the first time; who showed her that taking risks was a part of life.

He showed her how to jump. He showed her how to _live_.

If only he could use the same tactics to get her to jump with him this time. Now, she wasn't as flexible. Instead of climbing the ladder and taking the umbrella he offered, she was falling down the ladder and getting wet in the rain.

Sighing, she scribbled down a few more notes in the pro side, including, "takes risks, and lives in the moment."

Tapping the pen gently against her chin, her eyes slowly wandered to the con side of the paper. This was the hard part.

California. San Francisco. Silicon Valley.

It would be an amazing experience to live in California. She had never been there, but she knew the newspapers in the major cities were top contenders. She had applied to many of them, after all. She and Logan could live in a beautiful house together, with their perfect avocado tree in the backyard. They would both work at newspapers, and maybe, after a few years, have a few blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies walking around.

She would have the whole package. The one thing that her mother wanted the most, no matter how much she refused to admit to it.

Her mother.

_"__All I could think of the minute__ you left was 'I want my mommy.'__ I haven't thought that since I was two.__"_

_"__That's natural.__"_

_"__I'm eighteen. I can sign contracts, I can vote, I can fight for my country. I mean, I'm an adult. Adults don't want their mommies.__"_

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me," she muttered to herself, as realization of the situation finally dawned on her.

"Luke!" she called frantically. "Luke!"

Luke came down in a matter of seconds. Before he could ask, she gave him his answer.

"Mom."

He looked at her, clearly confused. "What?"

Rory looked at him, fear and anger etched into her angelic features. "My mother. She's what's stopping me." She put her head in her hands. "This cannot be happening."

Luke came closer to her. "What's wrong? That's a perfectly good reason to hesitate."

Rory shook her head, looking back up at him. "No, Luke. I'm a 22 year old girl. I was supposed to be over the whole 'I want my mommy' thing. I'm an adult. I shouldn't be scared to leave home. I mean, hell, I want to be an overseas correspondent. If I'm afraid to leave the outer limits of Connecticut, how on earth and I'm supposed to travel the world? I thought I was over this by now. I thought-I don't know." She sighed, and took her coffee that had been pushed to the side, taking a healthy sip from it.

"Rory," Luke said in a tone that made Rory look back up at him, fear still on her face. "Listen. You've stayed in Connecticut your entire life. You and your mother have a bond that the world hasn't seen before. It's perfectly understandable that you hesitated. When Logan asked you to marry him, you most likely unconsciously thought about what it would mean for your relationship with Lorelai. You didn't know it then, but you were debating inside whether marrying Logan would be worth all the changes it would make-including leaving Stars Hollow and your mother behind."

Rory mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that?"

She sighed, looking away. "I said I want to be ready. I want to be able to leave this place; I want to be able to say yes to Logan. No regrets, Luke. I want to do what I want, and not be unsure or hesitate anymore."

Luke nodded, knowing exactly how she felt.

_"It's like my life isn't even real to me unless you're there, and you're in it, and I'm sharing it with you. And, uh, I don't know what I was waiting for, and I don't know what I was scared of, but I'm not. I'm not scared, and I'm not waiting. I'm here__."_

"So, what is it that you want to do Rory?"

She looked down at her list, her eyes reading over everything she wrote.

_"It's your choice Ace. People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute you climb up here with me it's one less minute you havn't lived.__"_

"I want to jump," she said, a smile gracing her features.

Luke returned her smile. "Good. I thought you might."

She slowly pulled her stool back and got out of it. As she walked to the door, she paused and turned back around. "Thanks Luke."

He nodded. "You're welcome, Rory."

She shook her head. "No, I mean not just for this. For _everything_." Her emphasis on the last word made him raise his eyebrows. However, after a few seconds of her giving him a pointed, knowing look, he understood what she was talking about.

"Anything for you Rory. Anything for the Gilmore girls."

Rory smiled her innocent smile once again, walking over and giving the man she had always viewed as her father a hug. Before she pulled away from him, she whispered in his ear, "She's still all in Luke. She just doesn't know you still are too."

Before Luke could say anything, Rory released herself from their embrace, gave him one last fleeting smile and walked out of the diner, the bells ringing over her head as the door shut. Once she was outside, she took a whiff of the night air. Smirking, she shook her head as she pulled out her cell phone from her back pocket. Pressing speed dial #1, she held the phone to her ear, knowing that each ring lead her closer to happiness; closer to what she wanted.

"Ace?"

Rory's smile grew wider when she heard him speak. "I'll call the Chronicle tomorrow to tell them I'll accept their job offer."

Logan didn't say anything for a full minute, letting her words sink in. When he did speak again, Rory knew he was smirking.

"Does this mean-"

"Logan," she interrupted. "Listen. I like to think things through, and this was one of the things I had to make sure I wanted. I had a talk with a friend, and he helped me realize what's best for me; what's _right_ for me. Now, I know you might not want to marry me anymore after I hesitated. I don't blame you. Just know that I realize now that my reason for hesitating wasn't because I didn't love you, or didn't want to marry you. It was because I was afraid of change. Afraid of the future. But I realize now that-"

"Ace, you're rambling."

"Right, sorry," she giggled, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm ready for this Logan. I trust you, and I know we're going to be all right no matter what happens. So let's do it, let's take the jump." She took a breath, anxiously awaiting what he was going to say next.

She could hear him chuckle before speaking. "Tell me, what made you see the light?"

She laughed, turning around to see Luke watching her with a smile on his face. She beamed at him, letting him know that it had worked out.

"Let's just say I realized how much I really, _really_ love guacamole."

_"Master and Commander."_

_"The movie?"_

_"No, that's what I want you to call me from now on."_

* * *

Luke couldn't help but feel some pride as he watched Rory squeal in excitement outside of his diner. She was getting her package. The same thing he was supposed to have with her mother.

_"I feel like I'm never gonna have it...the whole package, you know? That person, that couple life, and I swear I hate admitting it to myself because I fancy myself Wonder Woman, but...I really want it-the whole package._

_"You'll get it."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"I know."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"Beacuse I know, okay? I know. Now eat you doughnut."_

He thought back to the words Rory had whispered into his ear before she went outside.

_"__Lorelai, this thing we're doing here -- me, you -- I just want __you to know I'm in. I am all in."_

_"__Luke. I am all in. I'm all in. Please trust me.__"_

_"She's still all in Luke. She just doesn't know you still are too."_

He sighed. It was time he took his own advice, and stopped running away from what he wanted. Opening the drawer nearest to him, he took out the long, slender white box and walked out of his diner.

_"You know I love you, right?"_

_I really need to hear that sometimes."_

_"I love you, and I am going to marry you, and at our wedding we are having lobster."_

As he walked past Rory, he sent her a smile. She returned it, and Luke thought that he had never seen her so happy.

"Logan, hold on a sec," she said into her phone, before taking it off her ear and looking over at Luke.

"Tell her I said I'll call her tomorrow," she said, sending him a knowing smirk.

Luke opened his mouth in surprise. He was about to ask how she knew, but after a few seconds of thought, he closed his mouth, chuckling. She laughed with him, going up to give him one last hug.

"I'm happy for you, Luke. This is good, really good. I've never seen you two happier then when you were together."

"And I've never seen you happier then at this very moment." Breaking apart from her, he looked her in the eye. "I'm guessing I should expect a wedding in the future?"

She blushed and nodded, grinning.

Luke nodded, beaming at Rory. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. Luke…" she paused, obviously trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say.

"Yes?"

"How did you…how do you always know the right things to say?"

He shrugged. "We have more in common then you think, Ror." With a final wink and squeeze of her shoulder, he walked away.

"Okay, I'm back…no, that was Luke…yeah, I'll tell him tomorrow…yes…" Luke heard Rory giggle behind him. "Well that certainly called for a dirty…yeah, I'll be over there soon, make some coffee please. And don't even _think_ about using decaf like last time. I've got the nose, mister."

Luke laughed when he heard Rory's final words. She truly was her mother's daughter.

_"Coffee..__.fries. I can't stand it. This is so unhealthy. Rory, please, put down that cup of coffee. You do not want to grow up to be like your mom.__"_

_"__Sorry, too late.__"_

* * *

The end. I had a really fun time writing that. I always marveled at how similair Rory and Luke and Lorelai and Logan were to eachother, and I wanted to show that in this one-shot. Please press George and review, I really want to know what you guys thought about this one. )


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